Improvement in fire-extinguishers



JOSEPH GARDNER.

Improvement in Fire'.Ext'i-nguishers.

Figl.

Patentec'i De. 26, 1871.

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PATENT OFFICE.

` JosErn GARDNER, or LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-EXTINGUISHERS.

I, JOSEPH GARDNER, of Louisville, Jefferson county, Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Extinguish ers, of which the following is a specification:

This invention, like the one which forms the subject of my patent of 14th of February, 1871, relates to that class of portable apparatus in which a lire-extinguishing gas is generated by the combination of a suitable acid solution with an alkaline one, and, like that oisaid previous patent,com prises separate alkaline, acid, and mixing-chambers and my invention comprises an arrangement of the faucets which discharge from the acid and alkali chambers, respectively, into the mixingchamber w11 olly exterior to said chambers, and so uniting their operative spigots as to make their opening and closing action simultaneous. My invention further comprises an arrangement of two or more pairs of acid and alkali chambers or reservoirs in connection with one mixing-chamber, an arrangement of equalizing-pipe or pipes, and other features.

Figure lis a side elevation, and Fig. 2 is a plan of a lire-extinguisher with my improvements.

A A B B are four separate cylindrical vessels, of which A A and B B are respectively reservoirs or chambers for alkaline and acid solutions such as customarily employed in this class of apparatus. C is my mixing-chamber. The said reservoirs are, at their upper ends, provided with screw-threaded caps D and E, which, when removed, permit said reservoirs to be charged with their appropriate compounds or solutions. Each alkaline-reservoir A A has a stung-box, F, to receive a rod or shaft, G, whose upper end outside oi the reservoir has a handle or crank, H, and whose lower end .within the reservoiris armed with one or more blades or agitators, I. The above-described parts may be identical in form and operation with those in my patent aforesaid except in the isolation of the mixing-chamber, the duplication of the reservoirs,and the slight change in position of the screw-caps D and E, which permits the stufng-boxes F ofthe alkaline stirrer to be independent of the screw-caps. Pipes L M L M connect the bottoms of the reservoirs with the mixing-chambers C, the said pipes being opened and closed by the cocksN O N 0, substantially as in my aforesaid patent, except that the said cocks are Wholly .exterior to the said chamber C and that the alkali andacid cocks of each re spective pair have their plugs or spigots connected by a rod, K, so that opening or closing either Specification forming part of Leiters Patent No. 122,244, dated December 26, 1871.

simultaneously opens or closes the other one. The chamber 0 has one or more nozzles, T, for attachment of suitable hose or pipe. When only onenozzleisusedtheotheroneis closedbyascrewcap, t. Rising from the top of the chamber C is an equalizing-pipe, U, which communicates, by branches V W, with the Vupper parts of the res` ervoirs. Cocks X Y enable the opening or clos. ing one or both of these branches. This communication V, being opened, at once equalizes the pressure in the mixing-chamber and in the two or four, as the case may be., reservoirs, and consequently enables both acid and alkali to discharge into the-mixing-chamber Without hindrance and in proper relative proportions. A single pair oireservoirs may be employed, if desired, instead of four, as here shown 5 or, on the other hand, 011e or more additional pairs of reservoirs may be used in conjunction with one mixing-chamber. Over the customary forms of single-chambered extinguishers my triple or quintuple chambered apparatus has several very decided advantages. For example, `no part ofthe vessels A B A B being required ihr gas, about eight times as much chemicals can be employed as in a single generating and containing chamber of their united capacity. The containing-chambers being separate from the generating-chambers, there is i no need to use more chemicals at one time than is absolutely necessary nor does it become necessary to recharge after every use of the apparatus; or, by the closure of one set of cocks, (discharge ai1dequalizing,) one pair of chambers may be isolated and charged While the stream is being thrown with full force from the other, and, thus alternated, theacton of machine may be kept up unrenlitting without shifting hose.

The generating-chamber, being always open, (by at least one of its ventages,) is never subject to an excessive pressure; and, when done with for the time being, ceases to generate gas; and, as all pressure then ceases, there is no leakage of material, as occurs, more or less, with the extinguisher of the common form.

Over the apparatus described in my previous patent the present arrangement, by its duplication of containing-chambers, is multiplied to that extent in efliciency and permanence of action because a single generating-chamber suces for several pairs of containing-chambers.

VThe exterior arrangement ofthe dischargingi cocks enables the ready inspection or repair of "them, and dispenses with stuii'ing-boxes, while y form is as follows:

their simultaneous actionY is a saving of time and simplification of their use.

Apparatus comprising two ormore pairs of coutaining-chambers may be mounted on a Wheeled carriage Whose frame supports the anges Z of the reservoirs and a platformxfor the operator convenient to the chambers, o may occupy axed location in some convenient part of the building it is intended to protect.

rEhe equalizing-pipe to any pair ot' reservoirs maybe so connected with their discharging-cocks as to be opened and closed simultaneously with said cocks; or said pipe may be destitute oi cocks, or may be furnished with one or more valves adapted to close autoinatically in the event of Vsuch an accidental overturning of the apparatus as would spill the chemicals from one reservoir to another. rlhis arrangement enables a constant stream of gas and mixed iiuids to be kept up iiii definitelyv by the alternate exhausting and iillin g of one set oi chambers while the other set is in a reserve condition as to ulliiess, this being perforined without shifting theA hose from one part ofthe apparatus to another.

By this arrangement of gradual mixing or" contents of chambers a in uch larger volume oi' chemicals may 'be used and yet the pressure be less than by any other arrangement hitherto devised; thus dispensing with much cost for and Weight of material for construction of machine. As there are always tree openings in the machine, all pressure necessarily ceases as soon as the cocks Y communicatingwith mixing-chambers are closed.

The operation of my device in its most complete The apparatus being properly mounted on wheels, all the reservoirs are iilled with their proper chemicals, (no room being required in my extinguisher for gas,) and a hose being attached to one ventage, the other remaining closed, on reaching the tire the cocks N O are opened more or less, according to the necessity of vthe case, and in a few seconds a mingled stream oi'- gas and non-combustible iiuid will issue from the hose and may be directed onto the re. Should another hose be required it may be attached to the remaining ventage and two streams be used. Should an increase of gas or of pressure be re quired the remaining reservoirs may be brought into play or action; or, as soon as one pairlof chambers is exhausted, they Vmay have all comniunicating-cocks closed and the other set oi chain- -bers put in action while the first-named set are being recharged. The instant thatthe confiagration is extinguished the cocks N O are closed and the residue ot acid and alkali in the reservoirs is reserved in complete efticiency for future USG.

I do not claim an appar tus in which a pump is necessary for forcing one oramore liquids into a inixing-chamber. My apparatus is soarranged as to dispense entirely witha pump. I am aware also that iie-extin guishei's have been made with separate chambers for containing chemicals for producing carbonic-acid gas, said chemicals being brought together in a common pipe. My invention differs from this in providing a separate chamber to afford opportunity for successful and complete mixing.

Claims.

voirs to the mixing-chambers, and exterior to the latter, for the object designated.

4. The provision, in connection with a mixing or generating-chamber, of two or more pairs oi' acid and alkali chambers, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as set forth.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand. Y

- JOSEPH GARDNER.

Witnesses Y GEO. H. KNIGHT,

JAMEs H. LAYMAN. (35) 

